Farmers Movement Archive

Centre invites farmers’ unions for talks

Mr. Shah and Mr. Tomar met BJP President J.P. Nadda late on Sunday. Mr. Tomar was seen leaving Mr. Shah’s residence again on Monday afternoon. Speaking at a joint press conference of protest leaders at the Singhu border, Bharatiya Kisan Union-Dakaunda chief Jagmohan Singh slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attitude. “We have been listening to him for many years; now it is time for him to listen to the mann ki baat of the farmers,” he said, in what seemed to be a response to the PM’s Sunday address to the nation defending the agricultural reforms and claiming that farmers have been misled. Mr. Modi repeated those statements at Varanasi this afternoon during his visit to his constituency on the occasion of Dev Diwali. Mr. Singh accused the government of “doublespeak”, and an “authoritarian and fascist” attitude, and warned that Mr. Modi would pay a heavy price if the farmers’ demands were ignored. Core agenda He urged the government to engage with the farmers on the core agenda of the three laws, and stop distracting them with other issues. Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav sought to dismiss several “lies” being propagated by the Centre and its supporters. He denied that the protest was driven by middle-men alone, that it has political motivations, that it was restricted to Punjabis alone, or has been infiltrated by Khalistani elements. “These are shameful lies,” said Mr. Yadav, slamming those who question the patriotism of protestors, some of whom have even lost family members in the defence of the country. He also accused the government of treating farmers with condescension, acting as though they are children who don’t understand the law or who are being misled by others. Gurnam Singh Chadhuni, head of another faction of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, also denied the allegation that only Punjab’s farmers were protesting. “Every day, more people are being mobilised in Haryana. The khap panchayats in each village have been meeting and decided to send more farmers to the capital. Wait and see how many more will come to oppose the law, which will only benefit corporates, not farmers,” he said.

The Hindu

2020-12-01

December 01 2020 00:00 IST